Bastille Day Festivities!

French Academy students watch their instructors during the talent show

French Academy students during the talent show

French Academy students perform during the talent show

French Academy students perform during the talent show

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

French Academy instructor Christian enjoys some ice cream during the field trip

Delicious Santa Barbara cuisine!

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

French Academy students enjoy their field trip to Santa Barbara!

Delicious Santa Barbara cuisine

Delicious Santa Barbara cuisine

Delicious Santa Barbara cuisine

Bonne fête nationale à tous! Sunday was Bastille Day or more often referred to as Le quatorze juillet. Just ten days ago, all academies had a great time celebrating the Fourth of July and this weekend, the French Academy got to celebrate France’s national holiday with plenty of cultural exploration!

We started our weekend celebrations with a World Cup match between students and staff. The French Academy cheered on RAs and even our director as they took on the Arabic Academy in the finale. Despite valiant efforts by Austin, David, and Meghan, the Arabic Academy emerged victorious.

We continued the weekend celebration with a talent show. It was no surprise to the French Academy’s RAs and teachers that our students are enormously talented. We saw an Indian dance routine, a hula number, several renditions of pop songs (including Bruno Mars and Edith Piaf), a poetry slam piece, a Rubik’s cube solved blindly and a song written about and serenaded to our very own animateur, Austin, by residents of his hall. Afterwards we followed our talent show with ice cream outside. Like every night in sunny Claremont, the weather was beautiful-a perfect evening for sundaes beneath the stars! We’ve only been together for three weeks but it is clear how close everyone has grown when we have activities such as these. RAs and students alike love to kick back during the weekend and enjoy each other’s company, all while staying in language. It really was an awesome day!

We closed the weekend with a true Bastille Day celebration! The French Academy, along with our directors and teachers, took a trip to Santa Barbara. Our adventure began at the Santa Barbara French festival - a true treat! Located in a charming park, the festival hosted an array of clothing, food and art stands. We visited pop-up patisseries (crêpes, baguettes, and macarons!) whilst listening to live French music. We then journeyed to the beach, where tout le monde had a great time sunbathing and playing volleyball in the sand. We closed our 14 juillet fête with a dinner at Le Café Stella, a French restaurant where we ate delicious coq au vin, une tour vegetarienne, and une tarte tatin à la mode.

All in all, the French Academy has had an awesome month and we are glad to have started our last week here with a bang!